Just say “no” to the all you can eat crab legs spread and prepare a gourmet dinner, full of baked crab legs with garlic butter sauce or cajun sauce, at home in as little as 15 minutes. This crab leg bake recipe can be used for Alaskan King, Snow Crab or even Dungeness Crab.
Use the meat to make our popular Sushi Bake or even throw in Truffles with Pasta.
Types of Crab
Oven baked crab legs are as quick and easy to prepare as grilled crab legs, as most sold at the grocery stores, are already pre-cooked. They’re either frozen or thawed after being frozen. The exception to this law are live crabs, obviously.
Essentially you’re adding flavor and heating them back up to enhance the natural flavor. Here are the most popular options to consider:
Alaskan King Crab Legs – The creme de la creme, baking baked King Crab Legs is the perfect holiday or special occasion meal. These legs are pricey, but have a ton more meat than the other types listed below. They’re typically sold as individual legs vs a cluster. Check out wikipedia to see how huge they are!
Snow Crab Legs – Baked snow crab legs are our go-to for most occasions. They are more economical than Alaskan King and easier to find in-stores. They’re typically sold as a cluster of crab legs. We love using lump crab meat to make Pasta Salad with Crab, Crab Rangoon Dip and Crab and Artichoke Dip.
Dungeness Crab – Dungeness is similar in flavor to Alaskan King Crab, with much less meat due to the smaller leg size. You can often find them sold as a whole vs individual legs or clusters.
Blue Crab – The Blue crab is an east coast specialty, in season between April – December. These are actually sold whole due to their small size. But this recipe will still work, if that’s what you’re working with.
Crab Legs In The Oven
It takes just 10-15 minutes for smaller crabs and 15-20 minutes for larger legs. Once they’re steaming and warm throughout they’re ready to go. If they’re not fully thawed, it will take a few extra minutes. It takes as long as it does to make Baked Lobster Tails.
When making crab legs in the oven, check the color of the flesh for color to ensure it’s heated through out. It should be pearly white and opaque. Don’t go by the exterior color as it’s not an accurate indication of temperature.
For a faster process, check out my How To Steam Crab Legs post.
Frozen Crab Legs
It’s best to thaw frozen legs before making baked crab legs. If cooked from frozen the excess water will release and create a water logged crab leg instead of a nice baked version.
As with other meat, the ideal way to thaw is in the refrigerator overnight. They need a minimum of 8 hours and will last 1-2 days once thawed.
Crab Seasonings
There are a few popular seasonings to use to add an extra layer of flavor to baked crab legs. Old Bay seasoning is the go-to if you’re going cajun while a nice shake of salt and pepper would go a long way.
If you’re serving the cooked crab with a flavorful dipping sauce, no extra seasoning is needed.
Sauces
Hands down, there are two juicy crab sauce recipes we prefer when making snow crab clusters:
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Garlic Butter Sauce – Garlic butter sauce is our favorite for sauce for seafood recipes! Make extra and brush some on before baking.
Cajun Sauce – Add some kick to your cajun crab legs, or other seafood recipes, by making cajun sauce to dip it in. You can also brush a bit on before baking.
Truffle Butter – Truffled butter is a luxurious and flavorful condiment made with just a few simple ingredients: high-quality butter, truffles, chives and sea salt.
Horseradish Butter – Horseradish Butter takes just 10 minutes to make and adds a pungent and spicy kick.
Seafood Cocktail Sauce – Whip up a batch of Seafood Cocktail Sauce in only 5 minutes.
How to Eat Crab Legs
Alaskan King Crab Legs – Take a sharp pair of kitchen scissors and cut down the length of the leg. Gently pull open the cut shell to expose the delicate meat.
Snow Crab Legs and Claws – Snap the individual legs from the cluster and break into two (at the joint). Use a sharp pair of kitchen scissors or a crab cracker to crack open the shells. The meat will slide on out. Use a small seafood fork to get to the meat in the cluster.
How Much Crab Legs Per Person
Wondering how many crab legs per person to serve? We recommend 12 oz. for Alaskan King per person and 16 oz. for Snow crab per person.
Expert Tips
- Use a crab cracker, nut cracker or mallet to crack open the shells. Even sharp kitchen shears will work. Avoid using a knife if at all possible. That’s an accident waiting to happen.
- Crab meat is excellent hot and cold!
- Throw leftover crab meat in our decadent Hot Crab Dip, Lobster Ravioli Sauce or Lobster Cake.
- Use the leftover meat to make Kani Salad (What is Kani) or Temaki Sushi.
- Set the timer for the low end of the time range and check to see how the legs are doing at that time. You don’t want to overcook them.
Side Dish Ideas
These are our favorite side dishes for crab legs:
- Sous Vide Corn on the Cob
- Butter Poached Lobster (twice the seafood goodness!)
- Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Smoked Mac and Cheese
- Squid Ink Pasta
Baked Crab Legs
Ingredients
Snow Crab Legs
- 2 lbs Snow Crab Legs (*Note 1)
- Melted Butter and Lemon Slices, For Serving
Alaskan King Crab Legs
- 1.5 lbs King Crab Legs (*Note 1)
- Melted Butter and Lemon Slices, For Serving
Optional Dipping Sauces
- 1 Batch Garlic Butter Sauce
- 1 Batch Cajun Sauce
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
- Place thawed crab legs on a parchment lined baking sheet, ensuring they don't overlap (if possible).
- Transfer to the middle rack of the oven and bake:Snow Crab: 10-15 MinutesAlaskan King Crab: 15-20 Minutes
- Remove from the oven when hot throughout and serve immediately with melted butter and lemon wedges or a dipping sauce.